


Hope's Peak Academy

by katawa_shoujos_bitch



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: All three dangan ronpa casts, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Hope's Peak Academy (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), But I enjoy it, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Male Pronouns for Fujisaki Chihiro, also, also the v3 cast are first years, and yeah, avoiding fights, but i figured its more important to use the common tag so people can find it or filter it out, but i'm using he/him for reasons such as, but that doesnt mean they arent important!, courtesy of miu iruma, dr1 cast are second years, etc. - Freeform, for example junko is way more Chill, having a little Bit of canon compliance, i am a supporter of trans chihiro hc, i mean shes still a disaster in some regards but, i wanted to say he/him bc pronouns don't have gender, its just not in the first chapter so it's not tagged yet, sdr2 cast are third years, some personalities are changed, some relationships will happen and then end, story will include weed, thank you for your time, there will be hajime/nagito in this full disclosure, this will include kaito/chihiro, which is about as close to canon as i can get with this lmao, which is practically a crackship, yk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:53:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26406805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katawa_shoujos_bitch/pseuds/katawa_shoujos_bitch
Summary: You know the drill--all three casts of Danganronpa in Hope's Peak Academy at the same time. There will be multiple storylines and multiple perspectives, but will only switch chapter-to-chapter, never in the middle. Stick with this for a little while to see my spicy hot takes on possible connections between multiple casts!(Switches perspective as in third-person limited, this is not first-person)
Relationships: (there will be a lot), Akamatsu Kaede/Saihara Shuichi, More will be added as they appear - Relationship
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this might be a long journey honestly!! i have an Amount of this already written but it is by no means complete! it's a lot of fun and i have a lot of unusual(?) dynamics planned so i'm looking forward to adding those tags in lmao.. it should be fun :)

Shuichi woke up in a semi-unfamiliar room. 

It took him a moment to process his surroundings--he was at Hope’s Peak. This was his dorm room. He’d arrived late in the afternoon the previous day, and had wound up sorting his things fairly late into the night. That didn’t change the early morning class, so for his very first day, he was low on sleep. That wasn’t too unusual for him, though, so he pulled himself into consciousness without much trouble. 

It was true that classes at Hope’s Peak didn’t have mandatory attendance. Still, it was the first day, and not showing up (or even being late) would clearly be in bad taste. Shuichi didn’t particularly plan to ditch class very often anyway. He knew he didn’t really belong at this school. He wasn’t even the only Ultimate Detective, and he knew the other one--a girl one grade above him, he was pretty sure--was  _ far  _ more qualified. The least he could do in exchange for the opportunity to go to Hope’s Peak would be going to class. 

The dorms were single (and god, was he thankful for  _ that _ ), and he had his own bathroom, but they all connected into a larger space, and that space was especially crowded this morning. Shuichi figured this was a first-day thing--it wouldn’t be so bad later on. Still, he pulled the lid of his hat over his eyes, avoiding eye contact with the increasingly noisy first-year boys. He’d counted eight rooms, including his own, and wondered how in the world seven people were causing so much chaos. 

Shuichi dared to look up, and was met with plenty of explanation. There was a robot--a  _ robot?? _ \--being berated and chased around by a boy who must have been high-school age, but had the face and height of someone much younger. There was another boy, taller, looked more his own age, who wasn’t exactly keeping it quiet either, but his eyes didn’t glint with mischief the way the other’s did. He was better intentioned, Shuichi decided. 

Otherwise, the noise was nothing more than little, quiet conversations scattered around the room.

So these were his classmates, huh? 

Shuichi kept his head slightly raised and tried to hold a small smile on his face. He didn’t want to seem rude, after all. Maintaining his expression, Shuichi followed his new classmates out the door and into the pleasant spring air. 

The school was only a short walk away. Surely they’d all make it on time. Shuichi hoped the first class wouldn’t be too overwhelming, it was only the first day, after all, and--

“Heyyyy! What’s up with you ignooooring us?” 

It was the short guy, bouncing in front of him with dizzying energy and an obviously fake pout. Shuichi tried to respond (without betraying his mild irritation in his tone), but was cut off before he could even manage that.

“Well, whatever! We were all doing introductions, but you were too mean to pay attention! So, who are you? Huh? Huh??” 

Shuichi blinked, slightly taken offguard by the sudden demand for familiarity. “Oh, I’m--I’m Shuichi Saihara. I was invited here as the Ultimate Detective, but I’m really just an apprentice, so--”

“Ohhh! Ultimate Detective, huh? Hee, that’s so reliable!” The kid smiled wide--so wide, it hardly felt genuine. “ _ I’m  _ Kokichi Ouma! The Ultimate Su _ preeee _ me Leader!”

Shuichi looked up, confused. “Ultimate Supreme Leader?” 

“Uh-huh! I’m the leader of a supreme secret organization of  _ evil!  _ My organization has over ten thousand members.” Kokichi paused, still turned to face Shuichi--the kid was walking  _ backward  _ in order to have this conversation with him. 

Shuichi felt his eyes narrow. “Is that true? That doesn’t sound right.” 

“Well… I  _ am  _ a liar, after all.” 

“Then… it was a lie?”

“Nooo, that part was true!” He paused, grinning. “Or maybe that’s a lie, too!” 

A brief moment of silence fell. Shuichi broke it quickly, immediately unsettled by the relative calm. “I’ve never heard of a secret organization of that size.” 

Kokichi grinned wider and laughed out loud. “Well, of course, you haven’t! That’s cuz it’s a secret, duh!” 

Shuichi shook his head, accepting he wasn’t going to get any farther than that. It looked like Kokichi was going to continue spouting nonsense, but it was at that moment Shuichi realized with a start that they’d already arrived at their classroom building.

Their classroom was only one story up, and they arrived quickly-- and just  _ barely  _ on time. It seemed like all the girls had already arrived, eight more people adding up to a grand total of sixteen students in the class. Shuichi scanned the room briefly and managed to find a vaguely familiar face. 

He’d never actually gotten her name, but he had met a girl for a short time when he’d first arrived the previous day. Intimidated by all the new faces, he sat down in the chair beside her. 

“Oh, hi! We met yesterday, right? What’s your name?” 

“Ah, I’m… Shuichi Saihara.” 

“I’m Kaede Akamatsu! The Ultimate Pianist. Nice to officially meet you! Hey, um, what’s your ultimate talent, anyway?” 

Shuichi stuttered, “I-I’m… they called me the Ultimate Detective, but I’m really just an apprentice. I’m not a real detective yet.” 

“Hey, hey, that’s not fair!” Kaede smiled--it was bright and warm and genuine. “You were scouted as the Ultimate Detective, so I’m sure you’re a great detective.” 

“Well, I…” Shuichi looked to the ground. “...I’d like that to be true, one day. Um, pianist? How long have you been playing?” He subtly-not-so-subtly changed the subject.

Kaede’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I’ve been playing since I was really little! Haha, a lot of people used to call me ‘piano freak’ when I was a kid because all I ever wanted to do was play. In middle school, I started participating in competitions, and eventually, I started to win! I still have more to learn, though.”

“That’s really impressive, Kaede, y--”

At that moment, the door opened and the room fell almost silent. 

A young woman entered, shorter than most of the students in the class. She wore a short and  _ frustratingly  _ frilly dress. Even her hair was a pale pink and tied into a bun. 

“Good morning, class! I’ll be your teacher for these next three wonderful years. You can address me by my first name, Usami! We’re all friends here~” 

Her voice-- _ Usami’s  _ voice, that is--was high and hurt Shuichi’s ears. He was pretty sure he winced slightly, hearing it. She kept talking for some time, but Shuichi fairly quickly found himself zoning out. She was difficult to listen to. Not only was her voice impossibly high, but she spoke so incessantly of friendship it made even made Shuichi a little sick--and he was far from a cynic.

Distantly, he heard something about ‘meeting your classmates’ and ‘getting to know each other’ and… the courtyard? 

Suddenly, everyone began standing, one after another, and filing toward the classroom’s door. Shuichi followed side by side with Kaede, who pulled him closer to the front of the line. There was some quiet chatter surrounding him.

Once again he found himself in the spring air, morning sun still shining down. It truly was a beautiful campus.

They were led to a large courtyard--it was stunning, really. Complete with trees and benches and flowerbeds, the place almost seemed to glow. Shuichi took a moment to stare before snapping back to attention. He turned to Kaede. 

“Ah… what are we meant to be doing here?” 

Kaede tilted her head to one side. “You didn’t hear? We’re allowed to stay outside while we get to know each other!” She smiled. “There’s a lot of people… we should get started, right?”

Shuichi nodded and started to respond, but before he could, a girl walked up to them in even steps. Kaede smiled at her. 

“Oh, Tsumugi! Shuichi, this is Tsumugi Shirogane. We met yesterday. She’s--” 

Tsumugi cut in quickly. “Kaede, I may be plain, but may I do my own introduction?” She didn’t seem particularly irritated--maybe she was joking around. “Um… Let’s see… I’m Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer. I may be plain, but I hope we can get along. Hm… what else...” She paused, thinking. “Oh! My favorite Doraemon episode is number fifty-three, the one with--” 

She continued speaking, but her words were so quick they began to blend together. Despite having only sixteen people, the courtyard was noisy and chaotic. It kind of made Shuichi tired, but it was also… kind of nice. It’d been a while since he’d been around so many people, and so far, the crowded area was a nice change of pace. 

Eventually, Tsumugi seemed to run out of air--Shuichi kind of caught the last few bits of conversation, and it seemed like she’d moved on from Doraemon some time ago. He didn’t even recognize the name of what she was talking about now--and the three began moving into the larger circle, Kaede always being the first to talk, Shuichi always being second. Kind of like they were a team. That was stupid, he amended. They’d only known each other a day.

Tenko Chabashira, Ultimate Aikido Master. Himiko Yumeno, Ultimate Magician--that is, Ultimate Mage. Rantaro Amami, Ryoma Hoshi, Angie Yonaga--too many names and talents to remember all at once, but he would do his best. Everyone seemed friendly, except… 

Except for Maki Haruwaka, Miu Iruma, Kokichi Ouma… 

Maki refused to speak to them in more than three words at a time. She claimed to be the Ultimate Child Caregiver, and that simply didn’t add up. Kaede reasoned that even if Maki didn’t particularly choose her talent, children being drawn to her was a talent in and of itself. Maki wasn’t amused, and they wound up leaving without getting any more out of her. 

Miu was rude. She swore at Kaede before even getting her name, she was incredibly foulmouthed from her first spoken sentence towards them, and insulted Shuichi’s hat. 

She  _ insulted  _ his  _ hat!!! _

Shuichi yelled at her. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d yelled at someone. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d  _ yelled  _ at all, but her comment angered him so much he yelled without thinking about it. He kind of felt bad, but… well, she’d done worse, to be fair. 

And Kokichi…? Maybe it wasn’t fair to say he wasn’t friendly, because he did smile at them and talk to them and didn’t actively insult them. But his smile was menacing, everything he said sounded like a riddle, and it did kind of seem like a backhanded insult to their intelligence. He said pretty much the same things as before they’d gotten to class, this time directed at Kaede and Tsumugi. Still, he kept throwing glances over to Shuichi, as if trying to get his attention. 

Beyond them, there was also Kaito Momota. He was the tall guy he’d heard in the dorm earlier that morning. He was kind--though he was also  _ loud.  _ He laughed loudly, was overconfident, and exuded powerful energy. It was a little tiring to be around, but he also lifted Shuichi’s spirits just with that presence. It was an experience of a conversation. 

It was very quickly time for lunch, and Shuichi marveled at how quickly the time had gone by. He figured he’d be eating with Kaede, and Tsumugi and Kaito tagged along as well. 

Usami bid them all goodbye. She was largely ignored, except by, um… Tenko, was it? ...who shouted a cheery response at the top of her lungs. 

~~~

The dining hall was spacious, with large windows covering one entire wall, showing expanses of greenery. It was quite beautiful. 

Once they’d all gotten their food, the four sat together at the most empty looking table. Shuichi and Kaede were next to each other, with Tsumugi and Kaito across from them. He shifted slightly, surprised to have Kaede so close to him. They’d only met the day before, and yet… 

“Yeah, usually you need to have at least a college degree to take the exam, but I know a guy who helped me get in!” 

Kaede gasped, her voice rising. “That’s illegal!” 

“Well, I did get caught,” Kaito admitted, “but I also aced the exam, so they let me in anyway! That’s the power of Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars!” 

Shuichi raised his head. “That’s really impressive, Kaito. Is that how you got your talent, then?” 

“Yup! I’m the youngest guy to ever pass the exam!” He grinned, proud. 

Tsumugi smiled, too, eyes lighting up at the story, hands clasped together in excitement. “Wow, Kaito! That really does sound like an origin story!” 

Finally, Kaede smiled again. “If you went through all that for the exam, I bet you’ll get to space in no time, Kaito!” 

“Of course! I gotta get to space as soon as possible!” 

The conversation continued without a hitch, all four of them getting along surprisingly well considering the short time they’d known each other. Mere hours ago, Shuichi had been scared (well… he’d been  _ nervous _ ) about attending a school full of Ultimates, but so far, it seemed to be going well. Still, he was grateful for his hat, allowing him a momentary shield when Kaito’s intensity led to too-much-eye-contact. 

And Kaede, well… she was already so kind. Shuichi knew they’d continue to get along. And… 

“We should eat together every day for a while. We’re all new, it’ll be nice to have someone to eat with at meals.” Kaede’s voice brought Shuichi back to reality. “Right, Shuichi? What do you think?” 

Kaito cut in, “Great idea! For breakfast, lunch, and dinner, right?” 

Tsumugi nodded, but Shuichi added, “Ah, um… I’d love to, but I don’t usually eat breakfast, so…” 

“What? Shuichi, you should start! It can be really important to start your day well.” 

“Exactly! It’s the most important meal of the day, Shuichi!” 

“I think eating with all of you would be fun. Shuichi, you should come, too, right?” 

Shuichi smiled, a little nervous. “I guess… yeah, sure, I’d love to come.”

_ I… guess I eat breakfast now.  _

~~~


	2. Chapter 2

It was Hajime Hinata’s final year at Hope’s Peak Academy. He wouldn’t particularly say he had any regrets. His supergenius brother had somehow managed to get him into the main course for his final year. Well, he wasn’t technically a Main Course student, but he got one of their dorms and classrooms. It didn’t really make sense, but if anyone could get Hajime into a main course classroom, Izuru could. 

On his way, Hajime considered the main course students he’d known in the past. He’d become friends with a few. Chiaki, for example--they were very close friends. He’d used to have a crush on her and was pretty sure she used to like him, too, but that was back when they were first-year students, and they were just friends, now. They played games together in  _ theory,  _ but in practice, it was more often Hajime watching Chiaki play. He stood no chance against the Ultimate Gamer. 

Sometimes they played games in real life--one-on-one sports or Sokoban in this one storage room with way too many empty boxes. Hajime usually won the former, Chiaki won the latter. 

Aside from Chiaki… 

He was friends with Mikan, the Ultimate Nurse, timid and quiet but very kind, as well. He knew Kazuichi. They weren’t especially close. He was somewhat close to Mahiru, as well. 

And then there was Nagito.

Really, what was there to say about Nagito? He was weird, always had been, and it seemed like he always would be. He talked about hope and luck and he stood too close for comfort and made the strangest expressions. 

Creepy. He was creepy. 

Hajime opened the door to the classroom to see that he was the last to arrive. Chiaki was there--good!--as well as Mikan, Mahiru… everyone, really. Even… 

Oh, goddammit, Nagito. 

Hajime swallowed, seeing that the last seat in the room was in fact in the back row, between Chiaki, and… Nagito. Of course. That added up.

Semi-reluctantly, he made his way to the back of the classroom and into his seat. 

“Hi, Hajime. It’s good to see you again. Um, do you wanna meet up after class like last year?” Chiaki’s voice was soft, but she looked up from her game to talk to him, so Hajime knew her enthusiasm was greater than her tone suggested.

Hajime nodded. “Chiaki! Of course, I’ll see you then.” 

A third voice entered their conversation before either of them could say anything more. Hajime closed his eyes, already exasperated. 

Indeed, it was Nagito Komaeda, presumably here to bring Hajime another full school year of awkward conversations and mild stress whenever he was present. He didn’t even need to  _ say  _ anything at this point. That white mess that was supposed to be hair would appear in Hajime’s peripheral vision and his mood would plummet. He wasn’t even sure if this was technically  _ hate  _ anymore. It was more like, discomfort. All-encompassing discomfort, severe enough that Hajime couldn’t even  _ think  _ properly around him. 

Kind of hellish.

“Hey, Hajime…! Looks like we’re next to each other this year. How interesting… I wonder if this is good luck or bad luck.” Nagito’s voice was low, almost a whisper. It was entirely unnecessary--yeah, they were in a classroom, but it wasn’t like it was quiet. Akane and Nekomaru were so loud that Hajime doubted Nagito could match their volume if he tried. Still, Hajime took the time to turn and nod at him--no point being  _ too  _ rude, right?--before turning back to Chiaki. 

Hajime didn’t have an answer to Nagito’s question. Whether being next to Hajime was good or bad luck for Nagito, he had no way of knowing. However, he knew for sure that Nagito falling into silence was  _ great  _ luck for him. 

You know, even if he did feel the slightest tug of disappointment at the back of his brain. 

Maybe he was hoping for a fight without realizing it. He was only human, after all, not even an Ultimate. Regardless, fights with Nagito usually didn’t happen, and if they did, they were incredibly one-sided. Even with Hajime, who  _ wasn’t  _ a “Symbol of Hope”, Nagito refused to fight back. It’d be more fun if he did.

Instead, he turned his attention back to Chiaki, his friend, who he actually liked. True that his relationship with Nagito was a muddled mess at  _ best,  _ and true that they did share some sort of bond after all that time, but he didn’t  _ like  _ him, exactly.

His friend was Chiaki Nanami.

~~~

“So, what genre are you into right now?” 

Hajime and Chiaki were walking together across campus. Class had just ended, and they were on their way to the fountain. It had become a tradition to meet after class at the fountain. This was the first time they were able to walk together, though, since Hajime had moved into her class in the Main Course. It was nice. 

Chiaki paused before responding, frowning at something on her gamepad. Hajime asked about genre noticing that while her movements were just as methodical, deliberate, and practiced, they were significantly slower than usual, more thought being put into each individual tap of the screen. 

“Strategy games. You have to learn the game’s algorithm, and develop your strategy around it.” She paused, tapped something twice, and continued. “Different game modes mean different algorithms. Different algorithms, different strategies. This game has… seven main modes, and four more special unlockable ones. Plus four difficulty levels. First three increase in difficulty a standard amount, but the final requires an entirely different strategy. I started playing yesterday.” 

Hajime smiled. “Let me guess, you’ve already beaten them all on the highest difficulty.”

“No, of course not. That’s impossible.” Tap tap. “Hm, combat ability or teleportation? Teleportation.” Tap tap. “I’ve only beaten the highest difficulty for the standard modes. The special modes have a difficulty spike. I’m working on them now.” Tap tap. She looked up. “Okay, I finished this one. This game has multiplayer if you want to play.” 

They arrived at the fountain. Chiaki set her backpack on the bench, pulled out another gamepad, and offered it to Hajime. “Um… I can try, but don’t expect much.” 

As expected, Chiaki won in what seemed like mere seconds. Even after Hajime grasped the mechanics, and even when Chiaki gave him an advantage (“I’ve been playing longer, so it’s not fair to play equally.” Hajime chose not to point out that she’d only been playing for a day). 

After several rounds, Hajime handed Chiaki back her game. “I surrender. You win.” She nodded, and took the game back, zipping it back into her bag. To Hajime’s surprise, she also dropped her own. 

“Okay. Let’s play something else. What do you want to do?” 

Hajime considered. “I figured you’d want to keep playing your games, Ultimate Gamer. Like last year, right?” 

Chiaki frowned at the ground. “But I was thinking about it. That’s not fun for you. Let’s do something we both like.” 

Hajime smiled. He wasn’t sure that they’d actually be able to find something like that, but he appreciated the sentiment. Chiaki was noticeably more talkative with him every passing year, and he was kind of distantly proud of it. 

He had a feeling this year would be a good last year at Hope’s Peak Academy. 

~~~


	3. Chapter 3

At the end of last year, Mondo Owada had made a promise. He’d formed a brotherly bond with one Chihiro Fujisaki, who’d entrusted him with his deepest secret. He was obligated to Chihiro. Mondo was to help him get stronger--physically and emotionally. Chihiro dressed and lived as a girl due to insecurity in his own weakness. He believed once he grew strong, he would be comfortable with himself, and live as a boy again.

Mondo was the only one who knew about this. It was the deepest of secrets, the strongest of bonds. Mondo had formed two of those last year--one with Chihiro, of course, and one with one Kiyotaka Ishimaru. They’d fought for weeks before facing off, and… well. That was certainly a deep bond as well. 

A  _ brotherly  _ bond, that is, same as with Chihiro. Maybe he’d be able to introduce them. It could be the three of them. That’d be pretty cool.

“Yo, Chihiro.” 

Chihiro immediately startled, dropping the small book he’d been holding. 

...To be fair, that one was probably on Mondo. Chihiro had been reading in the back corner of the library, with headphones in. He didn’t startle anywhere near as easily as he used to, but he was still human. 

After a moment of startled silence, Chihiro found the sense to look up, finally recognizing Mondo. His face lit up instantly. “Mondo! Hi!” 

Mondo grinned back. He couldn’t help it--just a year ago, Chihiro would have reacted to him with stuttering panic, and he probably wouldn’t have been able to recover. At the very least, it would have taken much longer. “We’re in the same class again.” 

“We’re  _ always  _ in the same class.” Chihiro rolled his eyes. “That’s how the classes work?”

“Well, fuck, man. That doesn’t make me wrong.”

Chihiro laughed lightly, pulling himself to his feet and grabbing his book off the floor. A coding book. Well, that couldn’t be more predictable. Noticing him looking, Chihiro self-consciously covered the title. “Hey! I  _ am  _ still the Ultimate Programmer. I don’t know what you expect from me!” He shouted in defiance, despite his reddening face.

“I didn’t say shit!” Mondo lifted both hands in a mock placating gesture. “But you don’t read fiction or anything? Man, I see you reading all the goddamn time, don’t tell me you seriously only read books about your ultimate fucking talent.”

Chihiro punched his arm. Still super light, but at least he made a solid impact. “ _ No,  _ obviously not. I read! I read plenty of things, you jerk! ...I’m just… trying to code something right now, and I wanted… to find a trick? Or something?” 

“A  _ trick.” _

“Yeah! What’s wrong with that?”

“Dude… you’re the Ultimate. Who knows better than you?” 

“Um, an adult, maybe? Experience is a thing. Anyway, my project is a  _ secret,  _ so… what’re you here for?” He glanced up, with maybe feigned innocence.

Mondo shrugged. “Been looking for you.”

“Well, I’m flattered,” Chihiro began, already averting his eyes, “but that’s kind of, um, unlike you? So… what’s… actually. What’s actually happening?”

“I really just wanted to come see you.” 

“Uh-huh.”

“Fine,” Mondo conceded, “I did want to come see you. But I uh, did want to ask a couple things.” 

“Ask!” 

He grimaced, “Do you want the good one or the bad one first?” 

“...The bad one,” Chihiro responded cautiously, eyes narrowed.

“Alright. Uh, so, are you gonna be a boy this year?” 

Chihiro froze, staring down at his feet. He was still wearing his skirt from last year. The color was slightly more dulled, and Mondo was pretty sure it didn’t fall quite as close to his knee anymore. “... I don’t know.” His voice sounded weak and soft. Mondo wanted to kick himself. “Um!” Chihiro coughed meaningfully. “What’s the other question!” 

Mondo sighed. If nothing else, Chihiro had definitely improved his recovery time. “Yeah, so. I wanted to know if you’d mind meeting someone?”

“Oh, a girl?!” 

“No, a guy.” 

“Oh!” Chihiro blinked, awkwardly switching his book from hand to hand. “I didn’t know that was your style.” 

“Uh… what?  _ Oh. _ ” Shit. “Nah, this is a friend.”

Chihiro flushed. “Oh god, I completely just assumed--sorry.” He glanced awkwardly to the side. “Um… if you don’t mind my asking, who’s so special it needs to be such a thing? To ask me to meet them and all that.”

“Nah, it’s not a big deal. Just kinda feels like a  _ thing  _ to introduce my friends.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Uh-huh.”

“Then, can we walk? I don’t wanna keep standing and talking back here.” Chihiro glanced around at the back of the library.

“Uh, yeah. So,” As he spoke, he stepped back to give Chihiro room to find his way out from behind the bookshelves. “Swear this isn’t a thing. ‘Sides,” He knocked Chihiro lightly on the arm, “what’s  _ most  _ important is continuing our training this year, right, Chi?” 

“He--Heck yeah, we are!” He said, smiling wide. 

As he opened the door out into the hallway, Mondo momentarily caught the eye of a girl he didn’t recognize at one of the tables. She seemed irritated, but hid her expression in a book. Guess they were being too loud or some shit. “First on the list,” he ventured, as Chihiro turned decisively towards the nearest stairwell, “please, god, never say ‘heck yeah’ again.” 

Chihiro made a face, glancing back. “What do you  _ suggest  _ I say, then?”

“Fuck.” That got Mondo a look of disbelief and possibly even mild offense. At this, he added, “Or, like. At least ‘hell yeah’.” 

“ _ Hell  _ yeah, then,” Chihiro amended, rolling his eyes dramatically. 

~~~

The first year at Hope’s Peak had been one hell of a year. To be quite honest, Mondo and Chihiro were both ready to put most of it behind them. 

Especially The Incident that they had both decided never to speak of again.

They’d been early in their training--Chihiro had been enthusiastic, but hadn’t yet improved very much. Mondo had thought a little too long about a little too much, and it all wound up with them having a very one-sided shouting match, and Mondo being about half a second away from attacking.

Chihiro wasn’t strong then. He was hardly physically capable now--but back then, he wouldn't have even tried to put up a fight. He might not have even wanted to. 

He could have been seriously hurt. Even killed. And really, it would have been an accident, but--it still happened.

Mondo wanted Chihiro to meet Taka. He wanted them to be friends--all three of them.

Wanted to smooth shit over and have a normal year.

Yeah. It sounded fucking crazy to him, too.


	4. Chapter 4

Sunday. 

No school. 

Another incessantly sunny day.

Shuichi had to admit the week had been pretty good, especially for the first week at a new school.

He’d made friends. Three who he already was beginning to feel close to. That was a surprise. He hadn’t expected to  _ not  _ be alone here.

He concluded--as Kaito gestured excitedly at the rest of the table and Kaede laughed lightly at having to dodge him--that it wouldn’t be as bad here as he’d originally guessed. 

Sure, his Ultimate Detective talent wasn’t exactly… well, correct--but maybe he could make it work if he was lucky. He could admit that his deductive ability wasn’t  _ non-existent _ . Still.

By Saturday, once school had ended, Shuichi was completely exhausted. Mostly mentally exhausted. He opted to leave school immediately rather than staying for the unofficial lunch period, much to Kaede and Katio’s simultaneous dismay. To be fair to them, Tsumugi had already left early by that point without so much as letting them know, and as much as Kaede and Kaito could both get along with anyone, their relationship with each other left something to be desired. 

So Shuichi felt kind of bad about it as he walked stiltedly towards the dorms, even as he was aware he wouldn’t be great company. Too quiet. Too gloomy. No fun for anybody.

Unfortunately he was stopped dead in his tracks by one Miu Iruma--whom he had not yet even so much as introduced himself to, if only out of apprehension. She was loud and managed to command a towering presence despite being about the same height as him. 

“The fuck are you looking at?”

Shuichi startled slightly. “A-Ah, um, nothing, sorry. I just recognized you from class, that’s all.” 

Miu gestured dramatically, with a wide, confident smile. “Of fuckin’ course you’d recognize me! After all, I  _ am  _ Miu Iruma, the  _ gorgeous girl genius! _ ” She laughed loudly, and Shuichi blinked, unsure what to do with that. 

“...It’s… nice to meet you?”

“Fuck  _ yeah  _ it is!”

“Um… if you don’t mind my asking… what do you have there?” Shuichi gestured to what Miu was holding--a nondescript container holding something Shuichi couldn’t quite make out.

“Uh,  _ weed,  _ obviously, dipshit.” She rolled her eyes dramatically, all theatrics. “Fuckin’ lame, right?”

“L--Lame?”

“Yeah, like. It’s all I could find in this virgin fucking town, goddamn hate it here already just cuz of that. Really, strong meds was too much of me to ask of these fucking losers? I’m Miu  _ fucking _ Iruma, the gorgeous girl genuis that’ll go down in history, and that was too fucking much? Ugh, fuckin’ hate it here.”

Shuichi stared blankly as Miu pointedly shook her little box. 

Without even taking another look, Miu walked off, muttering to herself. In theory, Shuichi could follow, to see if she was meeting with anyone, and if so, who.

...He decided against it, pulling absentmindedly at his hat, down over his eyes. 

~~~

“Shuichi? Hey, Shuichi?” 

_...Huh…?  _

Shuichi was woken by a voice and a light knock at his door. “Are you awake?” 

He glanced to the clock on the other side of his room--already nine in the morning. God. That was way later it should be. “Yeah--Yes, hold on!” he called, running over to block the door. “Is something going on?” 

“No!” came the reply. Paying attention, he was pretty sure that was Kaede’s voice. “Are you busy today? I was hoping we could do something together, but realized I didn’t have a way to contact you…” 

“Ah…” He considered, weighing his options. “...No, I’m free. Can, um… can I meet you somewhere?” 

“Of course! I’m... sorry for intruding.” Kaede’s voice shifted from pleasant to apologetic quickly, and Shuichi was about to assure her it was fine, but she recovered immediately. “How about the fountain? ...In about an hour?”

“Alright.”

“Great! See you then.” 

~~~

_ “All I’m saying is that we’re third-years. We might not see each other again after graduating…”  _

_ “We will! You’d never pass on the chance to invite us all to meet up.”  _

_ “That may be true, but… please, won’t you at least try to get along with him?” _

_ “Hey, that’s not fair. I try--I try every single time I see him. He’s just so  _ creepy  _ it’s difficult.”  _

_ “I’m friends with him.”  _

_ “He acts normally towards you.”  _

_ “Have you ever considered that he might act unusually around you because he doesn’t know how to get closer to you?”  _

_ “Well…”  _

Shuichi sat on the side of the fountain, very poised and very pointedly staring at an imaginary point in the distance. A couple of third-years were sitting fairly close to him, just close enough that as hard as he tried, he couldn’t zone out their conversation. He felt badly about eavesdropping, and attempted to mitigate the damage by taking in as little information as possible--but it didn’t work very well in the end. 

Instead, he just stayed incredibly still and waited for Kaede. It was his own fault, really, for getting there early. But, really, what  _ was  _ he supposed to do for twenty-five minutes?

When Kaede arrived, Shuichi had been sitting awkwardly for twenty entire minutes, despite her being five minutes early. She smiled, and he stood quickly, eager to get the hell out of there. 

He knew way too much about some upperclassman with a very bizarre relationship with his classmate, and Shuichi had no desire to learn any more. 

“Was there, uh, anywhere you had in mind?”

“Actually,” Kaede began, eyes glittering, “I heard about this little coffee shop from Tsumugi, and I was hoping we could go and check it out, if that’s alright with you.” 

“Like--Like--Like a date?” 

“Oh! No, I--No, sorry to give that impression, that’s not what I meant!” She laughed, surprised, as her cheeks flushed a light pink. “I would’ve invited her too, if she wasn’t busy!” 

Shuichi nodded quickly, eager to move on, fairly certain he was a deeper shade of red than she was. “Right--god, sorry, um--What  _ is  _ she busy with, anyway?”

“Come on,” She said, gesturing for Shuichi to follow her. He did. “Honestly, I’m not sure. She said she was meeting up with ‘some friends’, but didn’t say anything more. Do you know, um… gosh, what was her name? Junko, I think?” 

Shuichi kept his eyes on the ground as he walked, only partly out of apprehension. It was also partly to discreetly avoid the small cracks in the sidewalk--quite a feat, as they were numerous. “I, ah… don’t think I do.” 

“She’s a second-year. I don’t know her very well either. Well,” she gave a light, short laugh, “I suppose that’s obvious if I wasn’t even sure of her name. But she’s pretty… eccentric, and I think her and Tsumugi were getting along.”

“What’s--What’s her talent?” 

“It’s--wait, turn here--she’s the Ultimate Analyst. Isn’t that impressive?” 

Shuichi nodded at the ground. 

“She’s super smart. I only talked to her a minute, and it was already obvious.” All of a sudden, Kaede’s head snapped to the side. It was sudden enough that it caught Shuichi’s eye, and he looked as well. “Ooh, look, here it is!” 

They were practically standing in an alleyway, and Shuichi glanced at the road. The coffee shop would be nearly invisible from there.  _ How did Tsumugi even know about this place?  _ Still, it was small and, he had to admit, pretty nice, as Kaede opened the door. The inside wasn’t very bright, and was silent, save for exactly two quiet conversations and the low hum of an old-looking television in the corner. 

Kaede clasped her hands together, clearly happy at what she saw. “Oh, isn’t this so cute?” Her voice was too loud. She seemed to realize immediately, smiling sheepishly and amending, “It’s so nice” in a softer tone.

They sat down at a small booth in the back, and both chose to just order black coffee--a good baseline, Shuichi had reasoned. Kaede had grinned and agreed. 

“How are you getting along with the rest of our class?” Kaede asked, eyeing the steaming coffee with suspicion. 

Shuichi touched the back of his hand to his own cup. Way too hot. “Ah… honestly… I haven’t been introduced properly to most of them.” 

“But we’re a week in! Who have you spoken to?”

“Ah… well… you, Kaito, Tsumugi…” He grimaced, “Kokichi?”

“Oh, him? What an interesting guy, isn’t he?” 

“You could say that,” Shuichi said, a little quieter, irritatedly remembering their meeting. “Oh, and Miu, but only for a moment.” 

“You met Miu? When did you speak to her?” 

“Yesterday, actually, on the way back to the dorms--she was… um… well, our class is very lively.” 

“It is!” Kaede laughed, looking a bit awkward. “I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone, aren’t you?” 

“I suppose so,” Shuichi told his coffee cup.

Kaede sighed. “Thank you for coming with me, by the way.” 

“Yeah… of course.” 

“I think I’ll be coming back here.” 

Shuichi looked around the room once more. Quiet, calm, with Kaede. Unfamiliar, yet comfortable. He considered it. “...I will too.” 


End file.
